"Whether you're Sulla's friend or you're Sulla's enemy, I'm sure I've repaid you twice." - Sula's epitaph

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"So." Adiana whispered, and then moved her gaze to Poti, who was still crying, "You are the only one left, I don't want to insult you in front of so many imperial soldiers, and I won't give you to the soldiers**, thank me for my kindness!" But you must die and die for my aunt. ”

Poti nodded, and just as Calabis was about to shout "no", two Pontic cavalry scouts with round shields on their backs hurriedly ran over and shouted: "Not far away, a large group of Romans appeared, which seemed to be the remaining garrison of Silesia. ”

Utiris and Hybrida laughed, it must have been Apis' army that had come—but Adiana laughed even more, "The envoys of the cousins who put them back have been of great help again, and they have told the Romans the exact location of the reinforcements, so that we don't have to bother looking for them." Bison Tak Schiller, your chance to annihilate the Romans in formation, play to the strengths of your cavalry, and remember, even if the sun sets soon, don't give the Romans a chance to build fortifications. ”

At nightfall, the whole land of Rikdania seemed to tremble and burn - just as Appis had just crossed a small river with three brigades, plus two thousand Gaecian auxiliary light infantry, and was about to rush to Rikdania to reinforce the three companies that had been captured, Takschiller, the "buffalo" of Pontus, following the instructions of Adiana beforehand, commanded his cavalry and launched a wave attack on the Romans.

All the Pontus cavalry, holding the pine in one hand, like countless shining meteors, hit the Roman soldiers whose feet were still stained with wading frost, and then did not ask what the target was, howled loudly, threw the javelins in their hands, and then broke away with a blow, and the second team of cavalry continued to fight in relay in an instant, their purpose was very simple, not to give the Romans a chance to prepare and camp.

Takschiller, nicknamed "Bison", was a master of cavalry tactics, much more formidable than the Romans' previous opponents, and under his command, the Pontic cavalry was divided into three wings and six echelons, advancing and retreating in an orderly manner in the night, taking turns to harass the Roman soldiers.

The commander of the Romans, Apis, stood behind a few shields, a few light javelins flying above his head from time to time, his eyes swirling with the dynamics of the battlefield, and the expression on his thin face under the light of the torches was very calm: but he knew very well in his heart that half of the three brigades under his command were lined up in a line to engage in battle, although they were in front of the onslaught of the Pontic cavalry, they were not flustered, and they had set their feet in front of the river, and what he was really worried about was the Galashians in the flank direction, these soldiers of the minor client countries, under the offensive of Pontus, How long can the will last.

Just behind the formation of Appis, the remaining half of the Roman soldiers, sweating like rain in the winter night, in the front of the shouting and killing, dancing with shovels and pickaxes in their hands, frantically building fortifications, this is the last resort method of the Romans: once they encounter an enemy attack, half of the front team will engage in battle, and half of the rear team will build fortifications regardless of what to do.

The key point of the whole battlefield, as Adiana predicted, was whether the Romans could hold on and repair the fortifications.

"Tell the buffalo, Bituita, to find the weak point of the Romans' position, and break through it like tearing a thin cloth. The Romans were in the center of the camp with the most elite hoplite brigades, but their cavalry and servant armies on the flanks were much weaker. Adiana, who was in the car, gave a high-five and commanded Biduita.

After Biduita left, Adiana showed her white teeth like a shell, chewed hazelnuts leisurely, sighed slightly, and said to Calabis next to her: "Amphora clay pot, sometimes I envy your body, if I were a boy, then the one who inherits my father's throne will definitely be me." ”

But she found that Calabis looked at her under the lantern with strangeness, disgust, and vigilance.

Adiana brushed her maroon hair with her hand, "Are you afraid of me, Calabis, just because I stabbed Ebona?" ”

"No, I don't know, I just think that the perception of Her Excellency the princess has deviated compared to before, but I will be self-aware, as a slave, what I need is the ability to adapt to everything."

"You say this with melancholy and hypocrisy." Adiana bit down forcefully on a hazelnut, "Am I not merciful enough?" I have forgiven the Triple Wing, I have spared my brother's messenger, and I am willing to give Potty a dignified death at once. ”

"All of this is just a careful arrangement made by you in advance." Calabis thought of what would happen to Poti soon, and said with a little resentment.

"Shut up! No wonder the philosophers say, don't be too nice to slaves, they're a bunch of things that only know how to make inches. Adiana gritted her teeth and said, "Don't forget, Calabis, I taught you to kill - since you can kill the first, you will not be afraid to kill the second - in this shijie, there are always people you must kill, and one day, you will be grateful to me for teaching you this essential skill in life." ”

Calabis remembered how many nights he had tormented him at the pass of Sophini, in the midst of Adina's scolding, of an Armenian soldier who had been tormented for many nights, and his hands were stained with human blood, "If I don't kill that man, that man will kill me." This is the explanation he has always given himself, and now this explanation has been completely broken by Adina's theory: there is no compulsion in killing, as long as it is necessary, you can kill for self-defense today, and you will kill for profit tomorrow.

At this time, the servants turned the baffles of Adiana's carriage one by one, set up and locked them, and the whole carriage became a closed box, and then the servants lit the bronze footlamps and lit the incense, and Adiana was a little sleepy, like a beautiful kitten, half-lying on a silk pillow, separated from the Calabis standing outside by a soft curtain.

"Calabis, Calabis" Seeing the "amphora" there, Adiana laughed behind the curtain again, "I am from the Mithra family, do you think that the strength of a family depends on modesty, honor and warmth?" Wrong, such a family has long been eliminated by shijie, a person in a strong family, must always believe that he is superior to anyone, only like my father, continue to make himself stronger, can survive. Otherwise, it's terrible to be like you, you actually want to save Porty, you actually want to get her ** fleshly reward, but you can't, first, you have no ability at all, and second, some of your outdated thoughts bind you - maybe you should really be like Highbridad, just pull Potty's skirt open, tear off her clothes, and give her lowly women what they deserve. ”

Then Adiana suddenly opened the curtain and stood in front of Calabis in her soft loose underwear, and pointed her hand on his chest, and said, half provocatively and half reprimandingly: "Men may have dignity and inferiority, but they should all be like beasts before women and prey." At this moment there was a sound of horses outside the carriage, and a certain herald shouted: "Your Excellency, it is a crime to disturb your dreams, but I must report to you the most important news of the night, that the cavalry of our army has broken through the enemy's left flank. ”

Hearing this, Adiana smiled and instructed Calabis, "Light the torches, go to the front and take a closer look, and then come back and tell me the details of the battlefield." With that, she scattered her chestnut curls, pulled back the curtain, lay down on the couch, raised her white arms, and said lazily, "Go."